Probation Parole Officer

Job Description - Probation Parole Officer )

PROBATION & PAROLE OFFICER

PROBATION & PAROLE

GREAT FALLS, MT

The Montana Department of Corrections (DOC) is creating a safer Montana through Accountability, Rehabilitation and Empowerment. If you want to work making positive changes in your community, the Montana Department of Corrections is the place for you!

The Public Safety Division operates Montana’s prisons safely and securely and provides supervision and support for offenders in the community through its Probation and Parole Bureau. The work performed in this division is integral to the department’s mission to create a safer Montana through accountability, rehabilitation, and empowerment. Make a difference! Join us today!

The Probation and Parole Officer position, guided by the Department of Corrections (DOC) mission, plays a central role in managing the correctional population, promoting public safety and encouraging offenders to make positive life‑changing decisions for their future.

• Cooperate with and solicit information from the public and criminal justice system, and supervise and counsel 80‑100 offenders.
• Balance social work and law enforcement duties, including conducting pre‑sentence investigations and making placement recommendations for offenders sentenced to DOC.
• Prepare written pre‑sentence investigation reports and make recommendations for rehabilitation, treatment plans, conditions of probation, placement decisions, and appropriate level of incarceration.
• Refer offenders to appropriate resources or programs using supervision standards, risk and needs assessments, and state/community resources, while monitoring their progress for compliance.
• Investigate alleged violations of probation or parole, including performing searches, issuing warrants, and conducting investigations.
• Arrest, detain violators and testify in district courts and information hearings related to sentencing or revocation of probation or parole status.
• Apply Oleoresin Capsicum “O.C. Spray,” firearms, and handcuffs when dealing with hostile or threatening individuals, and manage high‑risk scenarios both in and out of the office.
• Work varying schedules, including nights and weekends, and be available 24/7 to assist any DOC facility or law enforcement agency.
• Travel up to 10% of the time for job duties and training.

Probation and parole officers must have at least a college degree in a related field such as criminology, psychology, social work, sociology, or guidance and counseling and some formal training in behavioral sciences. Exceptions to this rule are approved by the department. Related work experience may be substituted for educational requirements at the rate of 1 year of experience for 9‑month formal education if approved.

All present employees are exempt from this requirement but are encouraged to further their education at the earliest opportunity.

The following work experience may be substituted in lieu of formal education: corrections/detention, criminology, education, medicine, psychiatry, psychology, law, law enforcement, social work, sociology, psychiatric nursing, or guidance and counseling.

This position requires POST Basic Certification after attending training at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy and successfully completing one year of employment with the Department of Corrections. In addition to the training and experience requirements, to be POST Certified, the successful candidate(s) must:

• Be a citizen of the United States of America;
• Be at least 18 years of age;
• Be fingerprinted for a criminal history search;
• Not have been convicted of a crime for which they could have been imprisoned in a federal or state penitentiary;
• Be of good moral character, as determined by a thorough background screen;
• Be a high school graduate or issued a GED or its equivalent; and
• Possess or be eligible for a valid Montana driver’s license.

Applications missing required documentation may not be considered.

• Resume
• State of Montana Application
• Background screens (criminal records check, child/patient/offender abuse registries, and reference…